


Plagued Dreams

by spidey_owl



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon Gay Relationship, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dreams and Nightmares, F/F, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, One Shot, Post-War, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5 Spoilers, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24483970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spidey_owl/pseuds/spidey_owl
Summary: The war is over and the world is being rebuilt. But Adora finds herself unable to sleep much in the first few days following the wars end.It's midnight again and I wrote this instead of sleeping. I usually see strong!adora and ptsd!catra, I wanted to flip it.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 138





	Plagued Dreams

Every night this week was the same. Nightmares plagued her mind, his words whispered in her ears, the feeling of slipping away pulled at her subconscious. 

Adora hadn't slept in a week. 

Horde Prime was gone, she knew that. Etheria was being rebuilt, mornings were bright and the wind carried the rewoken magical energy across the lands. People were starting lives together, something many never thought they'd be able to do. Especially Adora. 

While the days were a great distraction with all the planning and helping, the nights were too quiet and left too much time for her to remember. After dinner, everyone retired to their rooms for the night.

Glimmer had told Adora that Brightmoon would always have her room ready, and until she and Catra decided where they wanted to settle, they stayed in Brightmoon. The smaller bed had been replaced by one that would comfortably hold the two of them, but not too soft. Catra has been in awe at the accommodations, having never had such a luxury. It made Adora smile. 

The first night had been the hardest, if not even a little awkward. Their newfound rekindling had kept them up for hours talking and stealing kisses, neither wanting to fall asleep first. Eventually Catra fell asleep when Adora played with her hair soothingly. 

With the comfort, Adora began drifting off to sleep, but it didn't last long. Her eyes shut, but she was blinded by a flash of green light. Her arm came up as a shield, and she peeked through her fingers to see what the source was. 

The heart of Etheira was pulsing, a green flash shooting out with every beat. A gasp left her mouth, but Adora found once the air was gone, she couldn't get it back. Her hand clasped at her chest, the failsafe glitching as her vision began to blur with no oxygen. Knees growing weak, Adora dropped to the ground, pain seeping through her body as the failsafe burned. 

A laugh beside her and a shadow creeping up. Adora looked up, still trying to breath, but gave up when Horde Prime smiled down at her. He stalked her like prey, laughs reverberating as though swimming with the beat of the heart above them. "You're a fool to think you could win. And for that, you will lose everything." Horde Prime sneared, raising his hand and smirking at Adora before he snapped his fingers. 

Adora woke in a deep sweat, gasping for air and sitting up quickly. Her long bangs stuck to her forehead as she looked around the room frantically and tossed the blanket off. 

Catra had woken from the sudden harsh movement and was confused by the sheer worried look on Adora's face. "What is it? What's going on?" She asked, looking around the quiet room. 

Breathing heavily, Adora slowly realized where she was and let out a sigh of relief. Looking to Catra, Adora tried to smile reassuringly and shook her head. "Sorry, it's nothing. Just a bad dream." She answered. 

Sitting quietly for a moment, Catra lay back down on her side and propped herself up on her elbow. "Do you wanna talk about it?" 

Shaking her head very slightly, Adora swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. "No, I'm just gonna get some water. Go back to sleep." With that, she left the room and ran a shaky hand through her hair. She didn't sleep the rest of the night. 

It was the same every night after that, for a full week. It was starting to take a toll and it was becoming noticeable. On some nights, Catra woke from a nightmare to see Adora awake and standing by the room's waterfall. They would cuddle until Catra fell back asleep, but Adora would lay awake. If she did fall asleep, it was plagued with a nightmare worse than the last. 

Eventually the sun would rise and Adora used the day's task as a barrier between her and the nightmares. Mornings were quiet, and she looked just as tired as everyone else did so it wasn't too bad. Her appetite seemed to be drifting with the lack of sleep, and during lunch when everyone was clearly awake and loud they'd find Adora quiet and staring off without touching her food. 

Bow had been watching his friend for a few days now, and every time they asked if she was ok, the reply was always the same. She'd smile, say everything was fine, and then excuse herself from the table. Instead of asking this time, Bow stood up and moved to sit next to her. "Not your favorite I'm assuming?" He motioned to the food. 

Snapping out of her daze, Adora looked to her friend and smiled sheepishly. "It's alright, I guess." She tried to joke. 

"Lies!" Bow yelled, standing from his chair and pointing at the plate. "This is literally your favorite meal! You said it yourself before!" 

Adora raised a brow and looked back at the plate. "Uh, okay, sure?" She questioned before standing. "I'm just not that hungry. Lot on my mind with the new rebuild plans for Scorpia in the Fright Zone. I'm gonna go look over the plans once more before we move out tomorrow." She left the area before anyone could stop her. 

Tonight had been the worst yet. Adora's eyes shot open as tears escaped and she sat up, covering her mouth from the shock. Looking beside her, Catra was still asleep. Unable to leave the bed like the nights before, Adora reached for Catra's arm, as if making sure she were real. A sob escaped when she saw the girl move at the touch. 

Catra woke up and looked at where Adora's hand seemed to shake against her arm. Looking up, her feline eyes helping her see in the dark, Catra quickly sat up. "Adora? Adora what's wrong?" 

No words were making their way out, only sobs followed and Adora curled in on herself as Catra pulled her close, cradling her in her arms. "I'm so sorry." Adora finally managed to choke out through her cries, her hands gripping onto Catra's shirt as an anchor. 

"What are you sorry for?" Catra asked, confused. "I just want to know what's wrong. You've been acting so distant lately, and I can see the darkness under your eyes and how you're not really eating. We've all noticed. Just tell me what's going on." Catra rubbed Adora's back, trying to sooth her. 

But it was to no avail. Adora just clung onto Catra and cried against her chest. She couldn't control it. So many sleepless nights had her exhausted, but the fear of sleeping was too great. Time felt as though it were at a standstill, but it moved as she seemed to run out of tears and could now see a tint of light coming into the room as the sun began to rise. 

Catra didn't rush her, and she was grateful for it. Her cries turned into soft sobs and hiccups, her eyes burning from crying and sleepiness. Adora took a deep breath and let her fingers relax, unclenching Catra's shirt. But she didn't move away from the embrace. Instead she let Catra hold her until the sun was completely up. 

Adora finally moved away, eyes averted as she stood up from the bed. Hugging herself, she took in another deep breath before turning to her girlfriend, unable to look her in the eyes in fear of another crying fit. "It's Horde Prime. Sometimes it's on his ship. Sometimes it's at the Fright Zone. But mostly it's at the heart. These nightmares, they're so vivid, and painful, and they won't stop." Adora hugged herself tighter, fighting the urge to cry again, but her voice cracked anyways as she spoke. "Last night, I fell asleep and the nightmare...he killed you. Right in front of me. He made me watch and I couldn't stop him." 

"It's not real." Catra was standing in front of Adora now, placing her hands on both shoulders. "Horde Prime is gone, Adora. He can't hurt you, or me, or anyone ever again. Remember?" 

Adora shook her head, a tear escaping as she pulled away. "But what if--" 

"Stop." Catra said so sharply, it caught Adora off guard. "There are no what if's. He is dead. Horde Prime isn't coming back. Take it from someone who was connected to his network, he is gone." She rubbed at the back of her neck, remembering the coldness from the chip. 

With a sigh, Adora rubbed her face with both hands and grunted. "I'm so sorry. He was literally in your mind, whispering in your ears, and here I am freaking out about nightmares. I feel so stupid." She let her hands fall to her sides. 

Chuckling, Catra moved closer to Adora and tucked her long blonde hair behind her ear. "You are stupid, we all know that. But you are valid in your fear of these nightmares. And don't ever feel like you can't tell me about them, even if they are really bad." She pressed their foreheads together and watched Adora's face relax at the contact. 

"I'm sorry." Adora whispered. "I've been trying to move on. But instead I'm stuck in the war. And I'm afraid." 

"Me too. But every time I wake from a nightmare, I see you next to me and I remember that we won. It's over, and we have each other no matter what." Catra spoke softly. "You need to sleep." 

Sighing, Adora stood up straight and looked around the brightly lit room. "Come on, let's go get breakfast." 

"Go wash up, I'll meet you there." Catra smiled, leading the way out of the room before parting ways. 

They met up with Bow and Glimmer in the dining room, the two had their arms crossed, looking determined, and weren't sitting. 

Glimmer smiled a hello, before her features turned into determination again. "Good morning. Now, Adora, sit!" She ordered, pointing dramatically at the seat they all seemed to be standing around. 

"Um, okay?" Adora replied warily as she slid onto the chair. Once seated, Glimmer clapped her hands and a royal guard stepped forward. The guard placed a plate of food down in front of Adora before bowing and stepping away. Bow stood on one side of the chair, arms crossed as Glimmer moved to stand on the other side. "What's going on?" 

"You need to eat. Right now!" Bow shouted, his foot tapping the ground lightly. 

Glimmer nodded. "We noticed you haven't been eating. And you can eat, like, a lot. And Catra told us this morning that you haven't been getting any sleep!" 

"Catra?!" Adora fumed, looking to the other girl who was leaning against the back of the chair casually. 

"Don't yell at her." Glimmer defended. "It's not like we didn't notice you dozing off, or the dark deep circles under your eyes. Your distance and disinterest unless it was task related, which clearly is to avoid something." 

Bow agreed as his head nodded with every point Glimmer made. "We care about you, and we can't let you continue on like this. So, you're going to eat, now." 

"And then," Catra chimed in, nonchalantly looking at her nails, "you're going to sleep." 

"But, we are heading out to help Scorpia today. I can't just sleep while important work needs to be done." Adora protested. 

Glimmer shook her head. "I visited Scorpia already, and she agreed to have us come in two days time instead of today." 

"What?!" At this, Adora stood up from her chair, her hands balled into fist. "The Fright Zone needs our help, now! They have no fresh food or clean water. Scorpia is rebuilding a whole kingdom that the Horde demolished. They've waited long enough! We need to do this, today!" 

All three friends placed their hands on Adora's shoulders and pushed down so she would sit. With her reseated, Catra moved to switch spots with Glimmer and took Adora's hand. "Look, we are working through a small batch of goods going out to Scorpia later this morning. We've already thought this through. Don't fight us. Let us help you." 

The two seemed to have a whole conversation without words as they looked into each other's eyes. Finally, Adora seemed to deflate as she slumped in her chair. "Fine." 

"Good, now eat!" Bow yelled again. 

"Bow, knock it off." Glimmer scolded with a smirk. 

Once Adora made it through most of her plate, the other three sat down to quickly eat their own meals before leaving the dining area. "Alright, when does the first batch of supplies leave for the Fright Zone?" Adora asked as they walked through the halls. 

"Oh no, you don't worry about that." Bow smiled as he moved behind Adora to place both hands on her shoulders. "Off to bed with you." He pushed her along through the hallway and towards the bedroom. 

"Yes, yes, but I--" Adora had started but was cut off when Glimmer teleported next to her. 

"Don't worry, we already have it covered." Glimmer said with a smile as they came to a stop in front of the closed bedroom door. 

Catra moved to take Adora's hand and offered a small smile. "I've got it from here guys." She said, opening the door and gently pulling Adora in before shutting it. Hands still together, Catra led them to the bed and climbed on. "Come on." 

Adora shifted in slight discomfort. She wanted to be out there helping. She should be out there helping. But they were being pretty serious and with no immediate threat of violence, there was no real argument to get her out of this. "Are you sure we can't just move the supplies today?" 

Catra's tail flicked in impatience, betraying her composed features. "Adora." She said through clenched teeth. "Get in bed. Now." 

Admitting defeat, she climbed onto the bed and lay flat on her back, still holding Catra's hand. "Will you stay? Just in case?" 

"That's the plan." Catra answered as she moved to lay on her side, freeing her hand and softly pulled the hair tie out of Adora's high ponytail. She ran her fingers through the long locks of hair, brushing it with her nails. "Sleep." She whispered. 

It felt nice, and with finally a full stomach, Adora felt herself drifting off to sleep. 

The dream started slow, the dark hall slowly lighting green with each step she took. Her side hurt from the open gash, the green poison seeping out to blend in with the light tracing the lines on the ground. But she continued nonetheless. A brighter light was starting to come into view, the end of the hallway finally visible. 

Stepping out onto the platform, the heart of Etheira looked fearsome in its radiance. But the green light was getting closer to it from all directions. Looking at her chest, the failsafe code glitched in and out the closer she got. Raising her hand, Adora allowed herself a moment of concentration. "For the honor of Grayskull!" She chanted, but nothing happened. "What?" She looked at her empty hand in confusion. 

A clap sounded in a dark area ahead. Then another until someone was clapping as they walked forward. "Such a magnificent trick. If you were strong enough to wield its power." Horde Prime snickered. 

Adora took an involuntary step back before looking at her now shaking hands. "Come on, you got this. She-Ra is within you, she is not the sword itself." Adora told herself and held out her hand again. "For the honor of Grayskull!" 

Yet again, nothing happened. 

"Expecting a light show?" Another voice asked from behind her. 

Adora turned around quickly to see Catra glaring at her. But it wasn't her Catra. Instead of her heterochromia eyes, they shined green with Horde Prime's brainwashing. Her hand rested on her hip and she smiled devilishly. It made Adora's heart sink. 

"Ah, little sister." Horde Prime greeted, moving past his enemy to stand next to Catra. 

"No." Adora whispered, tears threatening to spill over as her eyes watered. "Get away from her!" 

She tried to take a step closer, but suddenly Catra was right in front of her. "Oh, Adora. Didn't I tell you not to come for me? What's the point? You broke my heart and now I don't have to feel anything. It's peaceful." 

"This isn't you! You aren't real!" Adora shouted, moving her hands to cover her ears. "This is a dream, just a dream. This...this can't be real." 

The menacing laugh from both Catra and Horde Prime bounced off the walls and echoed everywhere. "The might of Prime shall bring peace to you." They said in unison. 

Adora shook her head, looking up at them both as they smiled down at her. She felt small, the heart being taken over by the green plague. "You're wrong." Adora said, moving her hands away from her ears. "Prime never sought to bring peace. He only ever wanted everyone to fear him to keep them in line. To mold them into his ideology. Well guess what? You lost." Adora was able to take a step this time, the failsafe shining brightly and no longer glitching. 

It started to grow brighter, illuminating the walls and washing away the green energy. The hearts colors returned, and as the failsafe grew brighter, Horde Prime backed away screaming at its power. 

Adora's eyes fluttered open, the room covered in a warm orange as the sun was setting. She blinked a few times, feeling like she could fall back asleep at any moment. Looking to her side, she saw the bed was empty. "Catra?" She called, her voice a little groggy. "Catra?!" She called louder, quickly sitting up. 

The door opened and Catra rushed inside. "Hey, Adora. It's okay, I'm here." She was at her side instantly and sat on the bed. 

"You said you'd stay." Adora slightly pouted. 

Smiling, Catra brushed the loose strands of hair out of her girlfriends face. "I did, you dummy. I've only been gone for five minutes. Scorpia was worried about you, so she and Entrapta came to Brightmoon. Of course not before having gathered Mermista, Sea Hawk, Frosta, and Perfuma. The whole crazy lot is here making way too much noise while you were trying to sleep. So I went to yell at them, which probably woke you up, now that I think about it." 

Adora took a moment to gather everything she just heard. A small laugh escaped her as she lay back down. "Of course I spend all day wanting to go to help Scorpia, and instead she brings everyone here to see if I'm okay. Why is everyone so backwards?" 

"That's usually my question." Catra replied, moving to lay on her side next to Adora. "How'd you sleep?" 

Smiling, Adora recalled her dream, how it had started with her weak and afraid. But ended with her winning, just as they had done in real life. "It felt good. And I'm ready for more, before going out to see everyone at dinner. Will you stay again?" She asked, looking up into those heterochromia eyes that she loved. 

"Always." Catra said, leaning down to give Adora a soft but long kiss. 

Adora wrapped her arm around Catra's waist and cuddled close. Closing her eyes once more, she fell back asleep. For the first time since the war was over, she didn't have a nightmare.


End file.
